The Yankees utility players, Ronald
Torreyes (0.3 WAR), Tyler Wade (-0.1 WAR) and Neil Walker (-0.1 WAR) had a
combined WAR of .1 in 2018, and while they are all serviceable as utility
players or as players off the bench, this is an area where the Yankees could use
an upgrade in 2019.

Position by position breakdown of the Yankees vs. Astros ALCS

The Yankees are set
to face a solid Houston Astros team in the ALCS. One of these teams will
advance to the World Series, while the other will go home empty handed. While
the Astros are extremely talented, the once again underdog Yankees hold their
own in this position by position breakdown of the two teams. Slash lines are as
follows: AVG/OBP/SLG, WAR. Here is the breakdown:

Yankees fans are very familiar with Brian
McCann as he was traded over the offseason in favor of their current starting
catcher, Gary Sanchez. McCann is always a threat with his left-handed power in
Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees should have a good idea on how to position
against him on the field. Evan Gattis is a poorer defensive catcher than
McCann, but has offered slightly more pop from the right-handed side.

El Kraken has had a much better offensive
season than both of the Astros’ catching candidates, and his defense in the
playoffs has looked much improved. His raw power and cannon of an arm give the heir to McCann the upper-hand.

Photo Credit: AP

Advantage: Yankees

First base

Yuli Gurriel (.299/.332/.486, 2.6 WAR)

Greg Bird (.190/.288/.422, 0.0 WAR)

The 33-year old Cuban first baseman enjoyed a
breakout year in 2017 with a .299 average and 62 extra-base-hits. While his raw
power is not as threatening as Bird’s, he is still a strong hitter and should
not be thought of as an afterthought in the lineup.

Greg Bird has continued to make his regular
season stat line look silly, as he has moved up to the fifth spot in the
batting order and hit one of the biggest home runs in recent Yankee memory in
game three of the ALDS. Bird is showing no signs of slowing down.

Slight Advantage: Yankees

Second base

Jose Altuve (.346/.410/.547, 8.3 WAR)

Starlin Castro (.300/.338/.454, 2.0 WAR)

Jose Altuve is no question about it the
better second baseman between these two teams. The perennial MVP candidate has
been lethal in the playoffs and is one of the many stars in this Astros lineup.
Along with his bat, he is a base stealing threat.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Castro has had a couple of key hits and
defensive plays so far in the playoffs, but his swing has looked less explosive
in October, and his chase rate is up. Nevertheless, he is not Jose Altuve.

Advantage: Astros

Third base

Alex Bregman (.284/.352/.475, 4.1 WAR)

Todd Frazier (.213/.344/.423, 3.4 WAR)

The 23-year-old third baseman enjoyed a solid
first full season in the big leagues, and has not stopped hitting in the
playoffs as he hit two home runs in the ALDS. Bregman still has a long way to go in becoming the player he has been hyped up to be, but he is one of the many dangerous young studs on this team.

On the other side, the veteran Todd Frazier has
proved that he is a valuable leader on this young Yankees team, and has
displayed Brett Gardner-like grit. His stats may be worse overall than Bregman’s,
but his experience and role in the clubhouse make him evenly matched with the
rising Houston star.

Advantage: Tie

Shortstop

Carlos Correa (.315/.391/.550, 6.3 WAR)

Didi Gregorius (.287/.318/.478, 3.7 WAR)

Other than Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa
may be the only better overall short stop in the American League other than Didi Gregorius.
Correa suffered a broken thumb after, the All-Star break, but still managed to produce
incredible numbers in only 109 games.

Didi had a phenomenal season in his only
right even after he missed a month of the season, but Carlos Correa is a super
star that reminds many of Alex Rodriguez when he came up through the Mariner’s
system. While Didi, has had huge hits in the playoffs, the edge still goes to
Correa based on his pure ability.

Advantage: Astros

Left Field

Marwin Gonzalez (.303/.377/.530, 4.3 WAR)

Brett Gardner (.264/.350/.428, 4.9 WAR)

Marwin Gonzalez enjoyed a breakout season as
the super utility-man of the Astros, but he projects to mainly play left field
in this series. He is very dangerous with the bat and his versatility is super valuable.

However, the longest tenured Yankee, Brett Gardner has
to have the advantage for this position. Gardner had the best at-bat of the
ALDS, which resulted in a two-run single in the ninth to seal the deal for the
Yankees in game five. He is the soul of this team and has had a knack for
coming through when it matters.

Advantage: Yankees

Center Field

George Springer (.283/.367/.522, 5.0 WAR)

Aaron Hicks (.266/.372/.475, 3.9 WAR)

George Springer continues to impress with his
skills as a leadoff hitter and recent career power surge as he set a career
high in long balls in 2017. An All-Star for the first time this season, Springer
is a dynamic player that will have a strong impact in this series.

Photo Credit: AP

Joe Girardi has made it clear that Aaron
Hicks is his guy in center, and he has awarded Joe with solid postseason
numbers and defense. Hicks is a player to watch in this series, but he does not
have the pedigree of Springer.

Advantage: Astros

Right Field

Josh Reddick (.314/.363/.484, 4.4 WAR)

Aaron Judge (.284/.422/.627, 8.1 WAR)

Josh Reddick was a solid offseason addition
for the Astros as he drove in 82 runs, only struck out 72 times, and played
solid defense in right field. He hit a huge two-run single in game four versus
his former team in the ALDS.

Everyone is more than aware of Judge’s accomplishments,
but his postseason has been abysmal. He had a home run in the Wild Card game,
game saving catch in game three of the ALDS, and a big double in the game four,
but this is Aaron Judge. He set the record for the most striekouts in a
postseason series that was only five games as opposed to seven. He is the best
hitter on this team and needs to play like it in order for the Yankees to win.

The designated
hitter spot in this series is a toss-up. Both teams feature struggling veterans
who have seen better days at the plate. Matt Holliday has yet to receive any
at-bats in the postseason and could be the sparkplug the Yankees need at the
position as the highlight of it has been Ellsbury’s catcher’s interference in
game five of the ALDS.

Beltran is another
former Yankee in this series, and probably wishes he could have last season
back. He was a negative WAR player in 2017 and has seen his at-bats go to the
like of Evan Gattis as a result. However, Beltran is a veteran guy with solid
postseason moments and could very well have something left in the tank.

Advantage: Tie

Rotation

The Astros rotation consists of Dallas
Keuchel, Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, and Brad Peacock. Keuchel and
Verlander are both aces and will be tough oppositions for the Yankees. Keuchel has
struggled since returning from the DL in late-July, but Yankee fans know how he
can stifle a lineup from the 2015 AL Wild Card game. Verlander has yet to
record a loss since joining the Astros just moments before the waiver-deadline,
but did not display total dominance in the Boston series. Charlie Morton
enjoyed his best season in 2017 and Brad Peacock was a nice surprise filling in
for injured pitchers in the rotation, but neither pitcher is very
intimidating.

Here is what I wrote about the Yankees
rotation prior to the ALDS:

The Yankees rotation features Luis Severino,
Sonny Gray, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia. Severino had a CY Young-like year
in 2017, but was the victim of an atrocious Wild Card game start where he only
recorded one out. However, his 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts illustrate how solid
his season was and how capable he is of shutting down a lineup. Like Carrasco,
Gray is a dynamic number two pitcher to have in any rotation. His 3.72 ERA
since joining the Yankees does not accurately reflect him as a pitcher, but his
tendency to nibble around the strike zone and run up high pitch counts has got
him into trouble in the Bronx. Tanaka almost lost his rotation spot in the
beginning of the season as his ERA was hovering between 5.00 and 6.00 for a
long period of time. However, his 3.77 ERA and .230 BAA in the second half
saved his season and has put him in position to pitch game three in the ALDS.
CC Sabathia is currently projected to pitch game two of the division series and
has earned that right. His 3.69 ERA is his lowest since 2012, and his ability
to pitch phenomenally after a Yankee loss is very ace-like.

Outside of Sonny Gray, the Yankees rotation
was excellent in the ALDS against a very formidable lineuo. Severino and Tanaka
were dominant and CC Sabthia held his own. Gray struggled, but he is not
projected to go until game four. The Astros may have more upside on the
front-end in Keuchel and Verlander, but the Yankees back-end tandem of Sabathia
and Gray make this an even position.

Advantage: Tie

Bullpen

The Yankees bullpen was dynamic in the ALDS
and proved to be one of the many reasons they made the improbable 2-0 comeback.
Aroldis Chapman is back and better than ever, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle
have been magnificent, and the Yankees still have Chad Green and Adam Warren
who have barely pitched in the postseason. Dellin Betances is still a huge
question mark after his atrocious performance in game four, but if he is your
team’s worst reliever you’re in good shape.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Astros bullpen is above average, but
nowhere near as impactful as the Yankees is. Ken Giles and Chris Devenski are
solid, but the rest of the bullpen is very manageable to face. It is rounded
out by Francisco Liriano, Joe Musgrove, Will Harris, Tony Sipp, and Luke
Gregerson.

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The scene was set for the
young budding Bomber squad last fall after finishing their season a game away
from a World Series berth. They were the team that arrived a year too early,
and another deep playoff run would be the goal, but then an old friend threw a
wrench in those plans. Derek Jeter put gargantuan slugger Giancarlo Stanton on
the market, and Stanton dictated his transfer with a full no-trade clause. The
Giants and Cardinals among others threw their name into the ring, but who did
he choose? The Yankees and Dodgers, it seemed to be a battle of baseballs
powerhouses, but the Yankees had an advantage over their former neighbors,
payroll flexibility. They were able to use this into an absolute steal of the
reigning NL MVP, and the Yankees were thrust into a world series or bust year.
The season was historic, they set the season home run record without Gary
Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge for most if not all of the
year, but it ended in a bust at the hands of…

The
speculation started during the regular season, even prior to his trade from the
Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Where would Manny Machado go upon
his free agency at the end of the 2018 regular season? And, with that, which
teams would be knocking on his door? No
sooner did the Yankees’ regular season come to a close after their fated ending
in the American League Division Series, the talks of Machado coming to the
Bronx took off as though pushed by a speeding 4 Train behind Yankee Stadium. The
truth of the matter is that the rumors started even prior to Machado’s free
agency being on the horizon -- they started
at the trade deadline.

Yankee fans are left with more questions than answers following Clint Frazier’s injury riddled 2018. Frazier suffered through concussion symptoms throughout his 2018 campaign, which saw him appear in 69 games between the minors and the big leagues. Now, Yankees fans wonder what 2019 will hold for the 24 year-old.

Miguel Andujar’s 2018
arrival in the big leagues on April 1st had been much anticipated by Yankee
fans and we were rewarded with a Rookie of the Year performance by one of the
most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball.

Corey Kluber is the difference
maker and impact arm the Yankees need atop their rotation. In 2017 and
2018, Yankee fans wished ace-like status on Luis Severino, but his
inconsistencies have left him just short of owning the name. Kluber, 32,
has been the definition of consistent for the Cleveland Indians, winning 18+
games four out of the last five years and winning 20 games in 2018 for the
first time in his career. Kluber has posted an ERA below 3.50 every season
since 2014, and has struck out at least 220 hitters in the same span. Kluber
keeps getting better, and is not showing any signs of regression. Kluber is an
ace, the ace the Yankees need.

There’s
no easy way to answer this question. Or, rather, there’s no one answer. The
surrounding factors change, creating different situations and, as such,
different fits -- both from a financial and from a team standpoint. A case can
be made to bring back either of these free agents, or both of them, or…
neither. But it’s almost impossible to make a blanket answer that fits in every
possible scenario.

It
felt like a shoe-in. So much so, in fact, that I advocated
for what I thought was the inevitable all the way back in September, before the
BBWAA even announced the nominees for American League Rookie of the Year.

First acquired in a relatively
small-time, 40-man sell-off move around this time last year that sent 1B
Garrett Cooper and LHP Caleb Smith to Miami, Michael King was seen as a young
right hander with promise, but one still years away from making any significant
Major League impact.At the time, the
important part of that trade was the $250,000 international bonus pool money
Miami included, which we all thought was to be used on Shohei Ohtani.Ohtani, obviously, never ended up in the Bronx
and will not pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing offseason Tommy John
Surgery.

Flashback to July 3rd -
the Mariners had just won their eighth consecutive game, putting them 20 games
above .500 and in possession of the third-best record in baseball. Everything
was going right in Seattle, and it surely seemed as if the M’s infamous 17-year
playoff drought would finally come to an end. Just two and a half months later
on September 22nd, the Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention,
following a dreadful summer slump and the concurrent surge of the
division-rival Athletics.

I
cannot count the number of times I tweeted about the Yankees and their problem
with RISP and situational offense over the course of the 2018 season. Of
course, the Yankees won 100 games on the regular season, and that statistic is
nothing to sniff at. They also claimed the single-season home run record. And
that’s great.